Metro or Uber or Lyft?

This 60 page book on Amazon is only 99cents. The author does a great job of walking you through what to expect.

Public Transportation in Paris: Fifth Edition (2025) Kindle Edition
by Anthony Atkielski

The Metro is perfectly safe - you really have nothing to worry about- thousands of people take it every day, including thousands of tourists. It is the easiest way to travel around Paris, and provided you're fit and mobile, will likely be the best option for you.

As far as I'm aware, Lyft does not operate in France.

The Metro is safe.

The Metro is safe.

The Metro is safe.

:-)

Seems you don’t really want to go very far - I am assuming mostly to tourist sights in the center of Paris - so I suggest that you try city buses! I love a bus in Paris. You can see the sights as you ride - hop off if you see something you want to explore - and even strike up a conversation with someone in a way that isn’t typical on the (safe!) Metro.

https://frenchly.us/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-paris-bus-system/

https://www.ratp.fr/en/plan-bus

https://secretsofparis.com/practical/getting-around/public-transportation/

https://www.paristoolkit.com/briefing/paris_bus.htm

Since you are staying in an AirBNB you can ask your host in advance about which bus routes run nearby.

There are regular city buses routes that will take you right by some of the major tourist spots, too. Here’s a discussion on this board from just a couple of years ago: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/paris-bus-routes-69-63-and-73

Have fun! Paris is BRILL.

The Metro is extremely safe. Another option as mentioned above, is the bus. We love taking the bus in any city we visit including Paris as it gives us a chance to see street scenes and neighbourhoods.

Hello I've been to Paris on a Rick Steves tour as well as on my own. The Metro is pretty easy to use, do watch some YouTube or read a good pamphlet on how to purchase tickets. We've caught covid both times we've been in France 2022 &2023. So if you have some major issues with your health you may want to limit your risks and take an Uber or taxi. But the Metro is a fast way to get around and can be faster than Uber or a taxi.

On the issue of uber versus taxi I'd like to know what people's experiences are. I'm going to be there end of September and only for two and a half days. Because of a particular site I'm considering taking a taxi or Uber, because it's on the outskirts of town. Does anyone have experience of uber versus Taxi.

jackiebret: these days, I say Uber. My French is actually pretty good, and I still sometimes encounter problems with taxis in Paris. I am loathe to sound like a rube (or some hopeless dweeb with their head down in their phone), but for me, being able to know the price before I set off provides real peace of mind.

You might want to check a taxi fare calculator (like this one: https://www.taxi-calculator.com/taxi-fare-paris/208) and then see the price you can get on Uber (always bearing that horrible “surge pricing” trick as you do so).

As an older single woman, I take the métro with no qualms at all. I will say though, that if you're admittedly unaccustomed to mass transit, read up on pickpockets in Paris so that you're prepared. We don't have to worry much about them in the US, so it's something to be aware of, though not afraid of, when in Paris. And nowhere more so than on the métro.

The Metro is safe. The buses are safe. The advantage of the bus is no climbing stairs and some routes give you wonderful views of the various notable buildings and monuments around Paris.

We have had good experiences using the G7 app for rides when we are opting to not take the bus.

If you are not going to use mass transit, ideally in your situation, the buses, I second Taxi G7. Download the app from home and put a credit card into it and it effectively is the same thing as Uber but more reliable IMO because I have never had a G7 taxi cancel on me. As mentioned above Lyft is not available in France as of now. Uber has terrible geolocation. You can overcome this by not letting the service locate you and instead put in your address but what you cannot overcome is the fact that the driver may cancel on you and that unlike regular taxis, they cannot use the bus lanes. I used to use Uber every once in a while in Paris but earlier this year, I had a horrible cancellation experience and have vowed never again to use them in Paris. Some of my friends in Paris use Bolt instead of Uber. I have installed Bolt on my phone but have not used it yet. I plan to use it next month when I am in Paris to see how it works and to have an alternative to Taxi G7.

There aren't many useful city buses by your AirBnB.
73 takes you to the Musée d'Orsay and 92 takes you near-ish the Eiffel Tower and to the Invalides.
There's also 32, but that line is terribly convoluted and slow - I used to live right off it but hardly ever used it, since metro line 9 does a better job in 99% of cases.
And that's it.

However, metro line 1 is extremely useful: fast, safe, frequent, shallow (= no long stairs, typically just 2 stories to street level), takes you close to many sights on your list: the Marais, Notre-Dame, even the Latin Quarter (just cross in front of Notre Dame). Also the Louvre.

None of the above. I am another vote for using the bus system, which I use almost exclusively when in Paris. It is simple, no stairs or escalators, you get to actually see the city while moving through it, and it doesn't small like urine.

Metro 1 also has been modernised, with platform screen doors, so very safe. Also metro frequencies are high in Paris, with a train usually every couple of minutes. In Paris I never rush or run to get my metro, even if I see one by the platform as I come down the staiors. No point risking to stumble and fall just to gain 90 seconds...